That's funny. It is the exact opposite where I am located. I have not seen a single bee yet this year other than a yellow jacket today. Over 60% of my honey berries were not pollinated which was a total bummer. Luckily, i was able to use a q-tip several mornings and went around to each bush. It's been getting worse here with the lack of bees with every passing year. My next project is top start my own hive.

Hi all, in Newport,RI , I've started the spring with more bees than I have seen in the past two years. The bumbles are out as well and saw my first wasp today. They were all over my apricot and peach so I'm sure they're both well taken care of. I just hope the fruit hangs on. Also its been warm enough for the nasty carpenter bees to appear as well. Mrs. G

Yeah, funny you should say. Today I noticed a couple of big fat bumble bees and some smaller bees working over a couple of my container blueberry bushes that are blossomed. I was a little surprised. Maybe our very warm March woke them up!

It's warming here to about 60F.There were a few Bumblebees flying around about a week ago,but haven't seen too many in the last few days.They were going after what I think is an Asian Pear, where I work.It hasn't been pruned much and produces pea sized fruit.I hope the Bumbles will come out for my Blueberries that are now starting to blossom.
Pitcom,I have two Honeyberries that I bought last fall and now have some flowers.I want to try to pollinate them using your method.Do I touch the pollen from one plant's flower to the other? Thanks, Brady

YES! I am always on the lookout for bees! My rosemary bush in my front yard would BUZZ with them. Literally buzz!

This year we lost the rosemary due to high winds and it uprooted :-( but I have seen many more bees than usual. I have even seen some bumbles that I have not seen in a while! I used to love them when I was a kid!

I come out before sunrise or right at sunrise and wait for the bees to show up. Sure enough they start at my Orange tree (what few blossoms are left) Then move to my little lavender pot. Then the Mandarin. And finally my Meyer. In the roses and Calla Lilies they are numerous!!

I cant wait for my jasmine to open! Im so excited about this year for some reason

Here in NorCal I've had tons of bees on my apple trees and citrus - they are literally buzzing. But my cherry tree, 20 feet away and in full bloom, barely has a bee visiting.

I also have lots of bubble bees, but they love my California Poppies I have in the garden.

Lots of bumble bees around here we had a very mild winter.

I just started two hives of Italian bees yesterday, picked them up Saturday. Managed to get stung a few times but no worse than mosquito bites. Things would have gone smoother but the frames the bees came on didn't fit the hive bodies that I bought. Bought 8" deep hive bodies and the frames were for 10" bodies. I finally figured it out and the bees should be happy if I didn't kill their queens. I'll check for new eggs in a week, if present I can relax and put away my Q-tips and artist's brushes.

Yup, can barely go outside without a bumblebee deciding my head is the most interesting thing its ever seen before and refusing to go away. Found one in my rain barrel the other day, thought it had drowned until it gave a feeble kick. Grabbed a gardening fork and picked him up out of the water and set him down on a rock to dry out.

Need all the bees we can get around here!

There seems to be a wider range of pollinators this year than what I've ever seen. My neighbor a quarter a mile away has a couple Euro bee hives and they are in the mix big time but they aren't in my pears much. Small fly-like pollinators are working them like crazy. My Carpenter bees are everywhere.

There are many different types and some prefer certain fruit. Wish I had something that likes Kiwis.

Carpenters bees are indeed everywhere, I actually ordered some "bee butter" to control some of the visible holes in my shed and deck runners.

I have been watching my fruit trees because it is my first year of trying to have an orchard. I assumed that i was waiting for honeybees. I have all kinds of little stinging looking bees. Small honeybees, little black ones that look like they would sting, some that look like flys, etc.